Summary. The article presents literature review of the last years’ publications on the Russian approach towards using narcotic drugs in medical facilities in comparison with other countries. Available publications have been selected from the Russian-language database of scientific publications “E-library” that served as an information source. Some publications on circulation of legal narcotic drugs in the U.S. and Europe have been found in English-language library “PubMed”. Authors of the articles on organization of health and medical services analyze regulatory and legal framework that regulates circulation of narcotic substances and provide a historic background on their use in medicine. Publications on results of clinical trials and reviews of such studies present comparisons of narcotic drugs, assessment of mode of administration as well as harmful effects of overuse. Russian and foreign researchers agree that narcotic analgesics are essential in medical practice with the optimal mode of administration being less invasive peroral and transdermal. In Russia the circulation of analgesics is decreasing causing many patients suffer from pain syndrome while the U.S. and Europe tend to overuse use legal narcotic drugs.

The main conclusion is that hundreds of thousands of Russian patients receive legal narcotic drugs in significantly less amounts than is required to ensure their right to live free from sufferings and pain. Patients and physicians fail to overcome artificial administrative barriers to prescription and receipt of such legal narcotic drugs. At the same time, there is a problem of easy access to legal narcotic drugs abroad and their excessive prescription resulting in abuse of legal narcotic drugs in population.

Keywords: Drug policy; narcotic analgesics; legal narcotic drugs; prescription opioids.

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